A vehicle such as an automobile may be configured for autonomous driving operations. For example, the vehicle may include a central control unit or the like—i.e., a computing device having a processor and a memory—that receives data from various vehicle data collection devices such as sensors and also external data sources such as navigation information. The central control unit may then provide instructions to various vehicle components—e.g., actuators and the like—that control steering, braking, acceleration, etc., to control vehicle operations without action, or with reduced action, by a human operator. It is desirable, but currently difficult, to provide an autonomous vehicle that dynamically selects operational instructions to optimize energy efficiency for the vehicle during transient operations, such as braking and acceleration.